Material working apparatus



April 24, 1945. N. M. OLNEY MATERIAL WORKING APPARATUS Filed March 31, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOR N. M. OLNEV BY v e R MM ATTORNEY April 24, 1945. I N. u. OLNEY 2,374,376

MATERIAL WORKING APPARATUS Filed March 31, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR' /v. M. O LNEV ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 24, 1945 MATERIAL WORKINGYAPPAKATUS Nathaniel M. Olney, New York, N. Y.,assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application March 31, 1944,'SerialNo. 528,854

6 Claims.

This invention relates to material working apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for punching and shearing articles from sheet material.

An object of the invention is to provide a material working apparatus which is simple in structure and highly variable, to perform work on materials of various sizes.

With thisand other objects in view, the invention comprises a material working apparatus in- Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1, showing also the reciprocable head;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the article resulting from the operation of the units of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is first directed to the material l and the operations to be performed thereon to produce an article l I (Fig. In the present instance the material it may be of any suitable type, for example, sheet metal, from which the article I I is to be formed with notched corners l2. Notches, indicated generally at M, twice the length of the notches 12 are to be cut simultaneously in the material ill at opposed positions by the aid of units indicated generally at l5 and I6. After the forming of the notches M in the material, the material is severed along a line I! midway of the notches [4 through the aid of a shearing unit indicated enerally at I8.

Considering'now the specific details of the apparatus, let it be understood that only those fea tures' necessary to illustrate the invention have been completely disclosed. In otherwords, the apparatus includes a table 2!! and a ram 2|. the latter being reciprocable relative to the table by suitable means (not shown). A base 22 is mounted upon the table in any suitable manner (not shown) and has spaced vertically projecting members 23'whieh-serve as guides for a support '24 for the units 15 and "5., A pluralityof aligned apertures 25 is formed in each of the members 23 to receive screws 26 of clamps 21 so that the'clamps may be disposed at any of the Various positions through the aid of "the threaded apertures 25. The clamps 21 are of thecontours shown, with beaded portions 28 about which they may rock through the'force of theirscrews 26 into clamping engagement with their respective flanges 30, of the support 24, which extend over and rest on the members 23. The support 24 has a longitudinal groove 3-2 in the upper "surface thereof to receive bodies 33 and 34 of the units l5 and 16. The lower portions of the bodies 33 and 34, which are disposed in the groove 32, has laterally projecting flange portions 35 which retaining plates 36, for the body 33, and retaining plates 31, for the body 34, may engage to "hold their respective units in selected positions, through the aid of screws 38.

In the present instance the unit [5 is fixed on the support 24, while the unit it is adjustable relative thereto. i i

The units l5 and i6 are substantially identical in structure; their bodies 33 and 34 having cutaway portions or throats 40 and 4|, and apertures 42 and 43 therein, the latter being'adapted to receive their tool supports and 45, respectively.

Tools 48 and 41, mounted upon or formed integral with the tool supports, are of contours adapted for cutting the notches M in the material l0, their lower ends being of the contours illustrated at 48 and 49 in Fig. 2. Retaining members 50 and 5|, fixed to the bodies 33 and 34, complete the apertures 42 and 43 and assist in guiding the tools 46 and '41 during their operative movement. Springs 52 and 53 normally urge the tool supports 44 and with their respective tools upwardly into their normal or inoperative positions controlled through the aid of pins 54 and 55, these pins being carried by their respective'bodies 33 and 34 and receivable in notches of the tool supports 44 and 45,'respectively, as shown in Fig. 2. The elements 48 and 41 are described broadly as tools but, spe- 8| in the table 20, as well as with both apertures 58 for the escapement of the punched parts of the material.

The body 33 of the unit I is provided with an integral lug or projection 63 notched at 64 to receive a threaded end 65 of a locating element 66. The threaded end 65 is reduced in size from the central portion ,of the element, providing a shoulder to engage a locating surface 61 of the lug 63. The surface 61 is in a plane with the center lines of the units I5 and IS. A simiiar lug 88 is integral with a body 10 of the unit' I8, to removably receive another reduced thread-.

ed end II of the element 86, providing a shoulder to engage a locating surface 12, the latter guides projecting laterally, as shown in Fig. 3, to serve as stops for engagement with shoulders I 0| of the support, to limit the upward movement thereof. Guide pins I02, mounted in apertures I03 of the body I0 and having their upper the body 10' and is fixed thereto, the major porlying in a plane with the cutting edges o'f the unit l8.

A lug I5, integral with the'bo'dy 34'and similar in contour to the lug 63 but of greater length,

'80 lies in a plane with the surface12 and the shearing edges of the unit I8; 'Through'the aid of nuts 84 and washers 85 disposed upon the reduced threaded ends of' the locating elements 66, these elementsmay be secured in place. :In the present embodiment only one set of locating elements is illustrated. These locating elements are identical in structure :and' are of a given length for the particular materialselected and article formed therefrom, as illustrated in the drawings. The unit I8with its integral lugs is fixed at a given position on the base 22, while the units I5 and I6 are jointly adjustable to positions relative to the unit I8 depending upon the size or width of the material and the relationship or spacing 'of the notches therein; If the notches are to be disposed smaller distances apart, shorter locating elements will be employed, whileif the notches are to be disposed greater distancesapart, longer locating elements will be employed; This feature of theinvention is believed apparent from this-description without the need of a disclosure in the drawings of locating elements of different sizes. Through the aid of the elongate lug I5- of the unit I8, this unit may be moved or adjusted'laterally relative to the unit I5, this adjustment depending upon the width of the material.

The unit I8, as previously described, includes the body I0, this body being fixedly mounted, as at 81, upon the base 22, and having a cutaway portion 88 for receiving and supporting afixed shearing blade 89, a shearingedge 90 of which lies in a plane with the'locating surfaces 12 and 82. The body 10 is recessed, asat 9|, to receive a support 92 for a shearing'blade 93,'the latter having a shearing edge 94 cooperating with the shearing edge 90 toshear the material I0. Near the center of the body 10, a cutawayportion 95 with a tapered lower surface 96 permits the articles II to drop downwardly and move into a receptacle (not shown), after they have been sheared from the material. Vertical guides 98,

'fixedly mounted upon the body -'I0, cooperate therewith in guiding the support 92 during its reciprocable movement, upper ends I00 of the tion of the cover intermediate its ends being spaced from the body, as at I09, to provide a passageway for the material I0 in advancing to the shearing blades.

Other guides are also provided for the material between the punching units I5 and I8 and the shearing unit I8. These include a stationary guide IIO mounted upon the base 22, as at III, and grooved, as at I I2, to receive the material I0 and provide a fixed path for the adjacent edge of the material in advancing relative to the units. A grooved roller II4, rotatably supported by a yoke II5, interengages the other edge of the material and, through the force of a spring I16, holds the material in the groove II2;of the guide-IIO. The yoke II5, through the aid of its pin III, is movably supported in a bracket II8,'a base II9 of which is provided with an elongate aperture I20 so that it may be secured at various positions on the base 22 through the aid of a screw ,I2I. The screw I2I is selectively receivable in threaded apertures I22 of the base 22, only one Of which is shown in Fig. 1. A stop I24, mounted upon an upright I25 fixed to the base 22 as at I26, is positioned in the path of the material I0 to stop the advancement of the material after each operating cycle to locate the material relative to the units I5, I6 and I8. If desired, the stop I24 may be adjustably mounted for movement relative to the unit I8 or it may be replaced by stops of varying contours, depending upon the requirements; as to-the size and contour of the articles to be formed from the material selected.

The adjustability of the units I5 and I8 relative to each other and to the unit I8 has been described. All of these units, irrespective of their positions, will be actuable through the aid of a head I30 having an engaging surface I3'Iwpositioned to engage the tool supports 44 and 45, with their tools or punches 46 and 41 of the units I5 and I6, and the support 92 for the shearing blade 93, to actuate all of the units simultaneously. I An integral shank I32 of the head I30 is supported in the ram 2I and movable therewith a given distance to bring about the actuation of the units.

During the operation of the apparatus, with the units in the relative positions shown, their cperable parts will be moved through an operating cycle during the reciprocating cycle of the head I30, to simultaneously form or punch the notches I 4 in the material I0 at one position, while at another position the shearing blades .89 and 93 of the unit I 8 will shear the material at the center line of a pair of the notches I4, as illustrated in Fig. 1. This operation may continue repeatedly as .long as desired, the material being advanced a limited distance, while the units are in their open positions, controlled in its movement by the guides I I0 and H4 as well as the stop I24.

Should it be desired to employ material of a Compression springs greater width, the unit 16 may be adjusted relative to the unit I by loosening the adjacent nut 84 of its element 66, loosening also the screws 38 of the clamping plates 31, freeing the unit l6 for lateral movement on the support 24 relative to the unit l5 until its desired position has been reached. After this has been accomplished, the nut 84 previously described may be tightened and the screws 38 may also be tightened to clamp the unit IS in place. The units 15 and 16 may also be adjusted relative to the shearing unit l8. This may be accomplished by loosening the clamp 21 and removing the locating elements 66, replacing the latter with locating elements identical in structure excepting of different gaging lengths, depending upon the dimensions of the material to be worked and the preferred location of the notches to be formed therein relative t each other. With the support 24 free to move on the base 22 between the guide members or projections 23, the set of units 15 and I6 may be freely located in the given position by the selection of the locating elements. These locating elements may be inserted in place in the brackets 63-68 and 15-80 and, upon tightening of the nuts thereof, bring the shoulders of the locating elements in intimate engagement with the locating surfaces 61-12 and 19-42, the units I5 and It then being accurately located with respect'to the unit Ill. The clamps 21 may then be tightened upon the flanges or projecting portions 30 of the support 24. If necessary, the clamps may be moved to any one of the other positions determined by the threaded apertures 25.

With this structure it is apparent that the material Working units are variable in position relative to each other and movable in groups relative to another unit, namely the shearing unit, to perform work on materials of various sizes; particularly the forming of notches in opposing sides of the material and severing the material at the center line of these notches.

Although specific improvements of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are but illustrative and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a material working apparatus, a punching unit actuable to successively punch portions from a material advanced intermittently, a shearing um't actuable to successively shear given lengths from the material, and a locatingfelement of a given length interposed between the units to locate them at definite relative positions.

2. In a material working apparatus having a table and a ram reciprocable relative thereto, a support mounted on the table, a material working unit, including a tool and a movable holder therefor, disposed at any selected one of a plurality of positions on the support relative to the ram, and an actuating head mounted on the ram free of the unit and having a surface to strike and move the tool holder to thereby cause the tool to perform work on a material regardless of the position of the unit relative to the head.

3. In a material working apparatus having a table and a ram reciprocable relative thereto, a support mounted on the table, a fixed material working unit, including a tool and a movable holder therefor, mounted at a given position on the table relative t the support, a variable material working unit, including a tool and a movable holder therefor, disposed at any selected one of a plurality of positions on the support relative to the ram and fixed unit, andan actuating head mounted on the ram free of the units and having a surface to strike and move the tool holders to thereby cause the tools to perform work on amaterial regardless of the relative positions of the units.

4. In a material working apparatus having a table and a ram reciprocable relative thereto, a shearing unit mounted at a given position on the table, companion material working units each including a tool and a movable holder therefor, a support for the companion units, means to secure the support at any one of a plurality of positions on the table relative to the shearing unit, means to mount one of the companion units at a given position on the support, and means to secure other companion unit at variable positions toward and aw m its companion unit.

5. In a material working apparatus having a table and a ram reciprocable relative thereto, a shearing unit mounted at a ven position on the table, companion material working units each including a tool and a movable holder therefor, a support for the companion units, means to secure the support at any one of a plurality of positions on the table relative to the shearing unit, means to mount one of the companion units at a given position on the support, means to secure other companion unit at variable positions toward and away from its companion unit, and an actuating head mounted on the ram free of the units and having a surface to strike and move the tool holders to thereby cause the tools to perform work on a material regardless of the relative positions of the units.

6. In a material working apparatus having a table and a ram reciprocable relative thereto, a shearing unit mounted at a given position on the table, companion material working units each including a tool and a movable holder therefor, a locating element of a given length, separate means carried by the table adjacent the shearing unit and by the support to receive the element and condition the element to locate the support with the companion-units a given distance relative to the shearing unit, means to mount one of the companion units at a given position on the support, means t secure the other companion unit at variable positions toward and away from its companion unit, and an actuating head mounted on the ram free of the units and having a surface to strike and move the tool holders to thereby cause the tools to perform work on a material regardless of the relative positions of the units.

NATHANIEL M. OLNEY; 

